Lot # 2095: Henry Chadwick Signed Piano Composition List - Chadwick Family Provenance - JSA

Presented is an incredible artifact signed by baseball Hall of Fame member Henry Chadwick. Although his fame today rests upon his literary works in the field of baseball, Henry Chadwick's writing talents were not confined to the printed sports page. Chadwick was also an accomplished composer and wrote many songs and musical numbers, many of which were published. Offered here is a one-page sheet, written entirely in Chadwick's hand, giving a partial list of his compositions. Chadwick's full signature appears along the top as part of the title, which reads "Piano Forte Compositions And Arrangements By Henry Chadwick." Listed below are the titles of 45 different works, including waltzes, polkas, marches, quick steps and quadrilles. Both the text and Chadwick's signature have been penned in black ink. The lined sheet (7.5 x 12.5 inches) displays two vertical and three horizontal folds (along the edges of which are a few tiny tears), as well as a few small areas of light discoloration. In Good condition overall. The signed list is accompanied by a printed sheet-music example of a composition by Chadwick: The Atlantic Quick Step (1847), which is included on the handwritten list of Chadwick arrangements. The sheet music is in Good condition.

Interestingly, this piece first appeared as Lot 624 in REA's May 2007 auction. However, at the time of that sale we had no way to properly document its remarkable provenance. This piece originated years ago directly from Henry Chadwick's great-great-granddaughter, Fran Henry. Fran Henry's father, John Chadwick Worden, was Henry Chadwick's great-grandson, and her grandmother, Avicia Mortimer Eldridge Worden, was Chadwick's third grandchild. Avicia looked after both Henry Chadwick and his wife, Jane, during their later years and after their passing she inherited many of their personal belongings. While the bulk of Chadwick's baseball collection was bequeathed to Albert Spalding, who later donated it to the New York Public Library, Avicia was still left with a tremendous number of personal papers, documents, letters, books, memorabilia, and baseball items. This signed piano composition list is one of the many autographed Chadwick pieces that were discovered by Fran Henry when she was cleaning out her grandmother's house in 1980. Interestingly, Fran Henry discusses the discovery of the Chadwick items in a special guest article (the first in a special series of guest articles) on John Thorn's official Major League Baseball historical website, "Our Game." (Link: https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/forgotten-boxes-family-and-a-legacy-recalling-henry-chadwick-1eb37df5269d). Since the time of Henry's discovery of Chadwick's personal papers in her grandmother's house, many of the pieces have since entered the marketplace, and those pieces have long been absorbed into advanced collections in the hobby. Few of these Chadwick family items surface today, and when they do, it is always a special honor for REA to offer them. Chadwick-signed items are extremely rare and the demand naturally far exceeds the limited supply. Total: 2 items. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA.